In Search of Good Coffee
by YouWouldntBelieveMeIfIToldYou
Summary: Muggle AU - Marauders, Jily-focused. One-shot. Lily's favorite coffee place has closed and it's her last term at Cambridge. Thanks to her roommate, she finds The Phoenix, complete with old friends, cute baristas, and, most importantly, fantastic coffee. Case of blocking out school days and mistaken identities. Lily POV. Rated T for mild language.


It's the third day of her last term at Cambridge and Lily really, really wishes she had never decided to study biochemistry. It's bloody complicated, which she likes, and she's just about done with her Masters, which she also likes. Her job, as a nanny for her old headmaster's nieces, that she likes. It pays well enough and the girls are adorable. She even likes her machoistic professors, who grade her work twice as hard as anyone else, which makes her twice as good as anyone else, and she likes that she's the top of her class despite it all.

What she doesn't like are mornings. Specifically, mornings where she finds that her _favorite_ coffee place – the only place that had any _decent_ coffee in a 20-kilometer radius – has closed for good and now she hasn't a hope of her brain functioning well enough to finish her program. She has worked far too hard and used far too many scholarships to not finish her degree, even if she is only surviving on beans, toast, and coffee at this point.

Rather than dwell on the all-too-familiar tight feeling in her chest, Lily decides to text Marlene for the address of the new coffee place she's been raving about. Her roommate claims the coffee is "to die for", and so are the baristas, especially some guy named Sirius. It's only six-fifteen and she doesn't have to be at the Johnson's until seven-thirty. If she must get coffee somewhere else, she might as well enjoy the _view_.

It's six-thirty by the time she finds the place, The Phoenix. She weaves through the cluster of people outside, all moving in the opposite direction as herself, only to find another cluster milling about the counter opposite of the till. There's a hurried, "give us a minute, yeah", as she approaches, and Lily finds herself staring at the large chalkboard hung overhead while she waits. They've got a bit of everything, as far she can tell.

She finally decides on something that has three espresso shots when one of the baristas wanders over, jet black hair standing on end as if he's just rolled out of bed – or perhaps stuck his finger in an electrical socket – and glasses slipping down his nose. He smiles, teeth white against his dark skin.

"Morning. Caught us at the end of a rush, love. What'll it be?"

Lily feels her mouth go dry. If this is the _view_, this tall, chiseled _specimen_ with the _perfect_ amount of scruff on his face, she would gladly drink a cup of the worst coffee in the world every day. Her caffeine-deprived, still-asleep, drooling brain manages to squeak out "coffee" as she continues to openly stare at him.

His smile turns into a smirk, hazel eyes lighting with a mischievous glint. He pushes his glasses up before responding.

"Well, you're certainly in the right place."

She tries to glare at him, her cheeks nearly as red as her hair, but that smirk is distracting. It's almost . . . familiar, and she wonders where she would have seen him before. Perhaps one of those football games Marlene used to drag her to; he certainly has the build for it. But it stirs something farther back in her memory, something she will never remember if she doesn't get her ruddy coffee.

He leans forward conspiratorially, and she catches a glimpse of his nametag: _Sirius_. Odd. Usually her and Marlene have completely different tastes in men.

"If you've never been here before, it's on the house." Lily nods as he pushes something on the register.

"Alright, then. Something with three shots of espresso," she says. He raises an eyebrow and she lifts one shoulder in a half shrug. "It's been a long week."

"It's only Wednesday." Sirius turns and pulls out one of the largest coffee cups Lily has ever seen.

"Your point?" she demands, and winces. Her words came out harsher than she meant. She can feel a headache coming on and a cranky attitude not far behind. He's smirking again and ruffles up his hair with his free hand. So, the messy look is intentional, then. Lily can't help but grin back as an even taller man with sandy blond hair smacks him upside the head as he passes.

"Quit flirting with the customers, will ya? Liable to scare 'em off."

The man's tone is joking, and Lily is sure she's seen him before as well, although she can't place where. He's even more familiar than Sirius.

"Piss off, Frank," Sirius shoots back good naturedly, although he's wearing a mock scowl that really shouldn't make him more attractive but, well, Lily has never been one to lie to herself.

She's still trying to figure out where she knows Frank from – she's positive she actually _knows_ him, just like she's _positive_ his favorite color is green – when Sirius returns with her coffee. She takes a cautious sip and is pleasantly surprised. It's not too sweet and not too strong. Even better than the coffee at the old place.

Sirius peers at her through his glasses, eyebrows drawn together. She lifts her cup.

"This," Lily proclaims, "is the best bloody cup of coffee I have ever had. Cheers."

"Such language," Sirius replies, looking mildly scandalized, but his eyes are twinkling.

"Like I said, it's been a long week." Lily glances at her watch and turns towards the door. It's nearing seven and the Johnsons are a fifteen-minute tube ride from this part of the city.

"Don't suppose I could get your name?" She looks behind her to see Sirius leaning against counter in what she supposes is meant to be an attractive pose. Instead, his long limbs are folded awkwardly beneath him, making him look a bit like a large, plucked chicken. He ruffles his hair again – that, too, stirs her memory, but not enough. She has to bite her tongue to keep from laughing.

"Lily. I'll see you around, Sirius." She hears a laugh behind her and smiles to herself. This morning is not turning out so bad, after all. She's surprised to find _your eyes are captivating_ written on her cup in a messy scrawl and a full-fledged grin takes over her face for the rest of the day.

Lily stops in every morning for the rest of the week, and Sirius is wearing a different nametag every time she sees him. Once it's even Frank's while they're both working, much to her amusement. He always makes her something with three shots of espresso and a cute note written on the cup (_if you were a fruit, you'd be a fineable _is her favorite_)._ It's always delicious. He also flirts in an adorably awkward way every chance he gets that she can't help but enjoy. They haven't exchanged numbers, but Lily is hopeful he'll ask soon.

Saturday, Lily stops in with the girls, who take to Sirius (or _Dorcas_, as his nametag reads) immediately. He makes them hot chocolate in addition to the triple espresso she usually gets and sneaks them a biscuit when her back is turned. _Are you a cat because I'm feline a connection_, she reads while Sirius is busy with another order, and bites back a chuckle. It's the first time he's alluded to any sort of intention with her and her stomach flips pleasantly. She waves before ushering the girls out the door for a day at the zoo.

The next time she visits The Phoenix, two days later, Sirius isn't there. Lily tries not to be too disappointed. He's got to have a day off sometime. The barista that does help her, Remus, is _cute_, if a bit thin. And sweet. He writes a joke on her cup that makes her laugh, which makes him smile, light coming into his brown eyes. She's positive she's met him before as well, and they talk about the several undergraduate classes they had together.

And suddenly, Lily realizes she and Remus were friends of sorts, and he had been studying chemical engineering until he got too sick. He did seem better, now, but she knows he must have been very, very sick. She leaves with a small wave and a promise to keep in touch after they exchange snapchats. He sends her one almost immediately of another ridiculous joke he had written on another cup of coffee. Lily laughs out loud, startling a couple sitting outside, and sends him a selfie in return. This is quickly becoming her favorite place in the city.

Lily drags Marlene out for coffee the next morning, which she has off due to a cancelled lab, thanking her profusely for the recommendation. Her roommate hates mornings even more than she does and grumbles the entire tube ride there. Sirius still isn't working, but Remus is, and so is Frank. There's another shorter, chubby guy working, and – _that's_ how she knew Frank – Alice.

The last time she had seen Alice was her and Frank's wedding. Lily can't believe she had forgotten what Frank looked like and feels like an idiot. She had been a bridesmaid, for crying out loud. But then her parents had died, and she had started her master's program, and Petunia . . . well, she does her best to not think about that.

"Lily!" Alice thrusts a half-finished drink into Remus's hands and shoves her way out from behind the counter. Frank protests loudly despite the lack of customers (the morning rush long gone) but Lily can barely hear him in Alice's crushing hug. She hugs her back and Marlene joins them, friends with Alice herself.

"Alice! You and Frank both work here?" Lily asks when the other women finally release her. Marlene laughs and Alice looks a bit sheepish.

"You could say that," Frank replies from behind the counter, his eyes lit with amusement. Lily can't help feeling that there's some joke she's missing out on as Remus snorts at the comment.

"Frank and I own the joint, hon." Alice beams at her, pride evident in her voice. Lily's eyes widen and she looks around the place again. It's full of eclectic, mismatched tables and chairs, the odd stack of books, small plants, and places to plug in phones or laptops. The wall décor is just as eclectic as the chairs and there's a sign that says _coffee is autocorrect for my brain_, which makes her laugh.

"Well, it's absolutely brill," Lily says as Remus hands her a cup of something with her standard three shots of espresso. It's not as good as when Sirius makes it, but she can't complain. Marlene is already sipping on her cup, which is probably just straight espresso, and exchanging the odd word here and there with Frank.

Alice beams at her again and drags her to the nearest table. After the wedding, she and Frank had gone to Greece and come back to find Alice's Great Uncle Horace had finally kicked the bucket and left them with fair near half of his money. The Phoenix was a dream of Alice's since primary school, although it had been a wistful thought called Madame Puddifoot's the last Lily had known. Thank God for Frank.

"And you would not believe the amount of profit we've made over the first year," Alice finishes happily as Frank and Marlene join them.

"This is amazing!" Lily looks around again, happy for her friends, before fixing her roommate with a pointed glare. "Marls, any reason you didn't happen to mention, oh, I don't know, that we sort of know the bloody owners?"

Marlene shrugs as the couple laughs and takes another swig of her coffee. Lily scowls.

"Seriously! I feel like a right tosser for not recognizing Frank. He's been in here nearly every day I've come." She shoots Frank an apologetic look.

"No worries, mate." He waves it off and then hurries back over to the counter, where Remus and the other fellow appear to have made a mess of some of the syrups.

"He's not the only one from what I hear," Alice says innocently, the spark in her eyes matching the mischievous grin on her face. Lily feels her cheeks heat up and she stares resolutely at the plant on the table. It's a succulent of some sort, dark green with pointed leaves. There's something calming about it, and she wonders why they haven't got any for the apartment. Lily is just thinking about where the best place to buy one would be when Sirius' name snatches her attention.

" . . . Sirius working again?" she hears Marlene ask nonchalantly.

"Day after tomorrow," Alice replies as Lily's gaze flicks over to her. She winks, as does Marlene, and continues to explain that Sirius was visiting his parents for a few days. Lily is fairly certain she has never been so red in her life, not even when that horrid prat (_Potter_) at secondary "accidentally" ripped her skirt in just the right place and everyone saw her pants and her ex-best friend Snape called her a whore in front of the entire school. That had ended with Potter starting a fight with Snape "to defend her honor" or some shite and spending the rest of the day in tears. She feels her chest tighten.

Thankfully, a swarm of people enter the shop just then, and Frank shouts for Alice to come help from behind the counter. Her anxiety is in overdrive. Lily practically drags Marlene from the shop, ignoring the several not so innocent comments from her roommate.

Despite the teasing, Lily comes back early the next morning, hoping neither Frank or Alice are there. It's just Remus and the bloke from yesterday, as far as Lily can see, and she waits behind the line of people. When she gets to the register, there's another barista she hasn't met, who is wearing Sirius' nametag. He has a bored expression on his (also) familiar, aristocratic face and his long, black hair is in a nearly perfect man-bun despite the amount of customers.

"Why are you wearing Sirius' nametag?" Lily asks, surprised. She's seen Remus wear it a few times as well as Sirius, but no one else. His gray eyes fix on her green ones with an equally bored look in them.

"Well, I suppose that's because it's my name," he drawls. His posh accent reeks of the upper class, and Lily wonders why on earth he is working for Frank and Alice. She frowns.

"Very funny. Or are you one of the few who Sirius lets wear his nametags?" She's half talking to herself at this point. The pale man in front of her snorts and his eyes spark, though his face retains the bored expression.

"Please. If anything, _I'm_ the one who lets whoever you're talking about wear this nametag." Lily stares at him as he continues. "There are few," he pauses, "who are _worthy_," another pause, "of the _honor_," pause, "of wearing a name with _such importance_," pause, "as Sirius Orion –"

"Are you frickin' kidding me right now?" Lily's eyes narrow as the man's mouth quirks up in a grin.

"No, I'm Sirius." His grin widens and she groans.

"It is too. Damn. Early for this. All I want is something with three shots of espresso that tastes good." Lily can hear the whine in her voice but she's too tired to care.

"You left that one wide open," the man points out as he turns to shout her order. Before he can, Remus is at the counter with an apologetic smile and, bless him, her coffee order.

"Here you go, Lily," Remus says, and she sees recognition flash in the other barista's eyes. So, he _does_ know Sirius. Lily decides to let it go and takes a sip of her coffee.

"Remus, I bloody love you. Barista man, whatever the hell your name may be, I forgive you." Remus laughs at the other man's indignant look.

"Why do _I_ need to be forgiven?" he practically shrieks as Lily turns towards the door. "If anything, _you_ should ask for _my_ forgiveness! Demanding to know why I'm wearing _my own_ nametag, claiming that – "

Lily cuts him off with a rude hand gesture and there are two laughs behind her. She smiles into her coffee cup as the words "I like her" float out before the door closes.

The next day, the girls are sick and, since the labs aren't available until one, Lily drags her books and laptop and research papers into The Phoenix. She sets up at a table, thankful for how beat up her secondhand laptop looks, and ambles over to the counter. The place is pretty quiet at the moment, although Lily is sure they're due for a rush soon. Alice and the barista she met yesterday are arguing, and a girl with shoulder-length blond hair is cleaning the espresso machine. Lily watches for a few minutes before Sirius comes out of the back with a stack of boxes, whistling. His eyes light up almost immediately.

"Lily!" He promptly drops the stack on the floor and, ignoring Alice's scolding, rushes over. She laughs.

"Hey." They grin at each other for a moment before interrupted by a pointed cough. The barista from yesterday is glaring at Sirius, arms crossed, although it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"Mate, wanna tell me why this _lovely_ – " he throws a dirty look at Lily, who in turn rolls her eyes – "young lady came in and _demanded_ to know why I was wearing _my own_ nametag?"

"I didn't _demand_," Lily huffs out, hands on her hips. "I just asked a question. A perfectly reasonable question, if you ask me."

Probably-Sirius – Lily has begun to wonder if this actually is his name, especially since the other barista has been so insistent and his current nametag reads _Peter_ – runs his hand through his hair.

"Well . . . y-you see, I, uh," he stutters and rubs his neck. His cheeks have darkened considerably and she realizes he's blushing and with that stupid half-smirk it's. Too. Damn. Attractive. Still, Lily schools her face into a neutral expression as she and Possibly-Sirius are both stare at him expectantly. Possibly-Not-Sirius runs both hands through his hair again. Maybe-Sirius sighs after a moment and holds out his hand. She shakes it.

"Sirius Orion Black," he says, and Lily _knows_ she has heard the name before, she just can't figure out where. He nudges Not-Sirius, who grins sheepishly at her.

"Sorry. You never asked and so I never bother to correct you. I don't actually work here, just fill in for Remus sometimes." Lily feels her heart warm towards him in an unfamiliar way. He holds out his hand and she takes it, relishing the way her skin tingles at his touch. "James Potter, at your service."

Lily feels herself freeze, hand still in his, a smile plastered on her face. _Potter_. Now that he's said it, she can't believe she didn't see it before. He and Sirius and Remus and Peter – the shorter bloke from the other day - had been in secondary school with her and Alice and Marlene. And Snape. And – oh, God. Her face flushes. He had been the one who –

"Lily." James' voice interrupts her thoughts. He seems to know where her mind had gone and has an apologetic look on his face. Sirius seems to have disappeared and so has Alice and the other barista. She can't seem to reconcile this wonderful, thoughtful, extraordinarily handsome man in front of her with the arrogant, brutish boy who ripped her skirt in grade 10.

"Lily," James starts again and winces at her expression. She's not sure what look is on her face; she can't even feel her face at this point and stares resolutely at the counter. "Lily, please. I-I'd like to apologize, if that's alright."

Lily feels her head move and realizes she must be nodding as James launches into his apology. She wonders if he has wanted to apologize since he first saw her a week ago.

"When you came in, I wasn't sure it was you. And then you called me Sirius and I thought maybe – maybe you didn't remember. And you carried on like you didn't and I thought we could, well, be friends at least." He pauses and she looks up; there's something in his eyes that she can't read. "So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't correct you last week. I'm sorry for all the rubbish I did to you in school, and I'm especially sorry for . . . the _incident_. I truly never meant for it to happen and I certainly never meant to hurt you."

The way he says it makes Lily laugh, finally breaking her out of her frozen state.

"The _incident_?" James gives her another sheepish grin.

"That's, uh – that's what we've been calling it all these years. Me and the boys."

"The boys and me," she corrects automatically and they both laugh. Lily realizes he's still holding her hand, his thumb rubbing a soothing pattern on her wrist, and blushes. He really seems to have changed, and all she ever really wanted was for him to apologize. She thinks she would certainly like to get to know this new and much improved James Potter.

"You know, it's been an awful long time since the _incident_," Lily says finally. James looks indignant and she rolls her eyes. "My point is that I've forgiven you, you big idiot. It was just a bit of a shock is all."

"Really?" That damn smirk is back, perhaps the only thing left from his school days, and Lily contemplates all the different, _enjoyable_ ways she could get rid of it.

"Really. Perhaps we can start over, Potter?" The way she says his name now is teasing and full of laughter, a far cry from the angry way she used to shout it at him. James grips her hand more firmly.

"Morning, love. James Potter," he says, his smirk turning into a true smile.

"Lily Evans," she replies. James finally lets go of her hand as he pulls out a coffee cup and Lily feels inexplicably devastated at the loss of contact. He's at the espresso machine when he turns back to her.

"Hey, Evans, go out with me, yeah?" There's that look in his eyes again and something in his voice that makes Lily smile softly to herself.

"Alright."


End file.
